Tony Monaco – Early Show

<div class=’ai1ec-event-avatar alignleft timely’><img src=’https://timelyapp-static.time.ly/images/54703692/Tony%20Monaco_790S.jpg’ /></div><p>Tony Monaco began his keyboard life at age eight, on the accordion. When he was twelve, his destiny as a jazz organist was sealed when he first heard Jimmy Smith. An enthusiastic student, Tony began working in Jazz clubs as a teenager in his native Columbus, Ohio, guided by local organ gurus Hank Marr and Don Patterson. On Tony’s sixteenth birthday, he received an encouraging phone call from Jimmy Smith, who soon became his Mentor. Four years later, Jimmy Smith invited Tony to come to play at his club in California–a peak lifetime experience for Tony.<br /><br />In April 2000, Tony met fellow jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, who offered to produce a debut CD for him. In September 2003, Summit Records released ‘A New Generation”, a unique recording featuring both Tony’s and Joey DeFrancesco’s Trios. As Tony’s reputation has grown, he has been blessed to play with some of the greatest musicians in jazz, including Mel Lewis, Lewis Nash, Red Holloway, Plas Johnson, Sonny Fortune, Jon Faddis, Adam Nussbaum, Bruce Forman, Harvey Mason, Chester Thompson (drummer) Herlin Riley, Matt Wilson, Jeff Clayton, Terrell Stafford, Eric Alexander, Late Bobby Durham, Russell Malone, Peter Bernstein, Paul Bollenback, Bruce Forman, Kevin Mahogany, Victor Lewis, Pat Martino, Fareed Haque and even George Benson.</p><p>Tickets: <a class=’ai1ec-ticket-url-exported’ href=’https://bluebambooartcenter.com/event/4593030/592121272/tony-monaco-7-30pm-show’>https://bluebambooartcenter.com/event/4593030/592121272/tony-monaco-7-30pm-show</a>.</p>